Sprayer



F. J. GIFFORD OCt. 22,

SPRAYER Filed Nov. 12, 1938 INVENTQR FRANK J.- GIFFORD B ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 22, 1940 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE auara'o Application November-:12, 1m, Serial No. 239,964 11cm. .(01. 299-83) This invention relates to sprayers adapted for connection with an ordinary garden hose or the More particularly it concerns sprayers'of the type having a "chemical cartridge therein to be dissolved by the passing water so that .theresuiting spray will be'oi' a strength equivalent to chemical solutions ordinarily used as insecticides in the cultivation of gardens and plants.

16 One of the objects of my invention is to provide a sprayer of such construction that the rate of dissolution of the chemical cartridge used in connectiontherewith will be such that the concentration of the resulting spray issuing therefrom will 'be within ordinary commercial limits until the cartridge has been substantially consumed." I

Another object of my invention is to provide a sprayer which may be under easy control,

which may be easily taken apart-and cleaned, but which at the same time is rugged enough to withstand hard" usage.

A further object of my invention .is to provide a sprayer having a transparent cartridge chamber so that the condition of the cartridges used therewith may be known at all times.

In addition to the foregoing, other features and objects of my invention will ,become apparent as the description proceeds with the aid 36 of the accompanying drawing in which:

' Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of my sprayer.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2 of F 8. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the disk used in the nozzle of the sprayer to produce rotary action in the resulting spray.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the cartridge barrel construction, part being shown in sec- 6 tion and part in elevation.

' In Fig. 1 is shown a tubular shut-oil. body 2, internally threaded at either end, as at 4 and 6. The threads 4 are adapted to receive the threaded coupling 0 attached the end of hose lii.

5 Threads 6 are adapted to receive the threaded end l2 of the transparent cartridge barrel l4.'

Passage II- extending through the shut-off body 2 has a valve seat at I! adapted to receive the valve 20 whichmay be opened and closed so by rotation of the wing handle 22 attached to the threaded valve shaft 23. Leakage is prevented by the packing 24 held in position by a cap 25. I v At the exit end of the shut-oil. body 2"is 56 sitioned a diskdl having at its center a' man hole 28. This disk isheld in position by the gasket interposed between the disk and the end of the cartridge chamber.

At the outlet end of. cartridge chamber l4 is a perforated bafile 34 havinga plurality of "5 aperture 36. This baiiie 34 is to prevent the chemical cartridge designated as 38 from being forced out oi. the cartridge chamber by the passing water and jammed in the end of the v spray gun. The apertures are so arranged that 10 the solution is free at all times to escape from the chamber..

A spray gun 32 screws on the end of the chamber, as at 40, and a washer 42 provides a water-tight connection. The spray gun termi- 16' nates at the end of the extension 44 in a spray nozzle 46 which has screwed thereto a spray cap 48. Between the'spray cap and nipple is a disk 50 which will' be referred to as a whirl washer, and the connection is made watertight 2b by'the washer" 52. Ascan be seen in Fig. 3, the whirl washer -50.has portions 54 and 56 died out in such a fashion as to be raised above the surface of the washer as shown, so that the solution passing 25 th'erethrough will be caused to swirl about; as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. By means of an opening 58 in t-lie' spray cap 48 the solution I escapes to the atmosphere and takes the form of a fine mist when in normal ope'fa'tion. 30

The chemical cartridge 38 that I use in connection with my spray gun may be composed in proper proportions of any of the chemicals that are found useful as insecticides and the like in garden work mixed with soluble inert binder material. Through my improved construction the rate of dissolution of the cartridge will be such'that the solution leaving the gun will. be of ordinary commercial concentration for the particular chemicals used in the cartridge, 44) and this concentration will hold until the cartridge is substantially dissolved.

Heretofore it has been diillcult, if not impossible, to cause the cartridge to dissolve sufllciently rapidly to give a solution of continuing 115 proper strength. This has been due to the fact that the water passing by the cartridge neces-. sarily must move by at a slow rate due to the largevolume of the chamber as compared with the small area of opening 58. This slow movemerit of water by the cartridge resulted in a solution ofinsuflicient' concentration to be satisfactory, and if the nature of the cartridge were changed so-that it would be more soluble, the

cartridge would be so-soit and unstable'that it 5 would be commercially impractical, to say nothing of the fact that it would probably Jam in the outlet end of the chamber. 7

By my construction, however, I am enabled to use a cartridge of such composition that it is firm enough to be easily handled and at the same time, through the use of the disk 28 with the single small hole 28 through which all water to the chamber must enter,lI secure adequate dissolution togive the proper concentration of the resulting solution.

If the hole 28 is 01- the same cross sectional area. as that of opening 58 in the spray cap, the velocity of the stream entering chamber I4 will be the same as that of the velocity of the solution leaving the spray gun. If hole 28 is made slightly larger, the velocity of water entering the chamber will be reduced and it hole 28 is made smaller than opening 58, the velocity will be increased.

Therefore, by having a single centrally located opening 28 I am enabled to cause an entering stream of high velocity to impinge on the end of cartridge 38. The high velocity of a small quantity of water causes sufliciently rapid erosion of the cartridge to give me the desired concentration. tion for concentration and by varying the size of hole 28, it is possible to provide ready means for giving a resultingsolution of commercial standards, and if necessary, there may be aplurality of disks 26, each having a hole of different diameter for use with. different types of cartridges of different degrees of solubility. In this way a person in taking care of a garden may quickly change from one type of chemical to another and still be assured that the solution will be of proper concentration to act as an effective insecticide or the like. In practice, however, by properly compounding the cartridges, a single disk will sufl'ice for use with all of the ordinarily used chemicals.

With certain types of cartrides I have found it desirable to mold them in such a way that there is a longitudinal bore 60 extending throughout the length. When so constructed, the high velocity entering stream will not only impinge on the end of the cartridge, but will also flow into the bore and cause a somewhat more rapid erosion than would otherwise be the case to give a greater resulting concentration of solution.

Due to the eddies that are set up in the chamber, I have found that the cartridge tends to float back and forth in the chamber and it does not drift to the far end to rest against baille 34. This is a particularly desirable result, as it permits the high velocity entering stream to be efiective against the cartridge for a longer period than would'be the case should the cartridge remain at-the far end.

In operation after the shut-off body has been attached to the end of the hose, the watermay be turned on at the main valve while valve 28 is still closed. The operator may then, by turning the wing handle, permit the water to flow through the chamber to give the resulting desired solution as needed.

When not in use, the unit may be readily dis- By testing the resulting solu-- for cleaning it necessary, and by virtue of the transparent chamber H the condition of the cartridge is at all times known to the operator so that replacement may be made when necessary. In the ordinary case the. solution will not drop 5 below commercial concentration until considerably more than half oi. the cartridge is consumed; and this is due of course to the erosive eflect oi! the high velocity entering stream provided by the hole 28 in the disk 28, which rapidly puts some of 10 the cartridge in solution. The solution is then strengthened by additional amounts going into solution as the water passes slowly along the cartridge toward the exit end. As the cartridge is gradually dissipated, the erosive efiect on the 15 end diminishes somewhat as the end area decreases and average distance from the disk aperture increases, but the rate of dissolution of the cylindrical surface of the cartridge increases as agreater volume of water per unit area is available, coupled with the softened condition of the cartridge. In this way the resulting solution is held to proper commercial concentration until the cartridge has very substantially diminished.

In case it is desired to increase the durability 2 of the threads at the ends of the cartridge barrel I4, I have provided a modified form as shown in Fig. 4. The left half of this figure is in section, while the right half is shown in elevation.

In this construction a metal adapter 82 is provided threaded internally at 64 and externally at 66. The threads 66 are of the same dimensions as the threads I2 of the barrel so that the adapter may be screwed into the threads 6 of the shut-oil body 2 and, at the other end, into the threaded connecter 48 of the spray gun.

In order that the connection between the adapter and barrel may be watertight, a washer 68 or other sealing material is provided. In addition, to prevent the separation of the adapter and barrel when the latter is being unscrewed for refilling, the two may be cemented, pinned or otherwise mechanically secured.

Having thus described my invention, I wish it to be distinctly understood, however, thatthe particular form I have disclosed is illustrative only and I do not intend to be limited thereby but only by the appended claim.

I claim:

In a sprayer of the character described, a readily detachable and refillable cartridge chamber comprising a tubular body member of a transparent material, the wall of said body member having portions of substantial thickness at each end of the body member to provide reinforced end portions of substantial strength, the portion of the wall of said body member intermediate said end portions being of reduced thickness to facilitate viewing the interior of said chamber through the wall of the body member, said body member being threaded adjacent said reinforced end portions to provide for attaching said cartridge member to spray apparatus, and an apertured bailie in one end of said body member integrally attached to the body wall adjacent one of said reinforced end portions, the other end of said body member being substantially open and unob structed.

FRANK J. GIFFORD. 

